


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by AlineLovelace



Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: F/M, found the idea on a prompt list and twisted it a little to fit, i hope you guys enjoy it :), just a little christmas thing i decided to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlineLovelace/pseuds/AlineLovelace
Summary: Shawn enacts his master plan to give Juliet her Christmas present.
Relationships: Burton "Gus" Guster & Shawn Spencer, Juliet O'Hara/Shawn Spencer
Kudos: 6





	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“Shawn, I know that look,” Gus said, crossing his arms. “Don’t do it.”

  
Shawn scoffed. “Please. You don’t even know what I’m planning to do.”

  
“I don’t have to know what your plan is, I already know it’s going to backfire.”

  
“It doesn’t even involve you. In fact, you can go home and spend time with your family. It’s a one-man operation.”

  
Gus narrowed his eyes. “This won’t come back to bite me in the ass?”

  
Shawn shook his head. “Nope. Your name won’t even be mentioned.”

  
“Okay, I can get on board with that. What’s your plan anyway?”

  
Shawn glanced around to make sure they were alone. “I’ll tell you when we get back to the office.”

  
Gus clicked his tongue. “There’s no one around.”

  
“I won’t say a word until we step foot into the office.”

  
“Oh, I can get behind that.”

  
“I won’t say anything about the plan. I’m still gonna talk.”

  
“Fine.”

****************************************

Gus settled into his desk chair. “So?”

  
Shawn perched on his desk. “I overheard Jules talking to someone, no idea who, couldn’t see them. Anyway, she said she was taking the rest of this week off to spend time with her family while they’re in town for the holidays.”

  
“And you’re gonna miss her, aren’t you?”

  
“Yes, but that’s not the point. She’s planning to take her nephews to visit Santa at Macy’s on Tuesday.”

  
“That’s tomorrow, Shawn.”

  
“Stop interrupting; you’re ruining the big reveal of my brilliant plan.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to turn on the charm-“ he held a finger up to silence Gus before he could say ‘what charm?’- “and get a job at Macy’s as one of ‘Santa’s helpers’. That way, I’ll be there when Jules brings her nephews, and I have a chance to talk to her, give her the present I bought her.”

  
“Hold up, you bought Juliet a present? Did you even buy me a present?”

  
“Uhhh, yeah, buddy. I definitely bought you something.”

  
“Where is it?”

  
Shawn chuckled. “Well I don’t have it with me, it’s at home.”

  
Gus stood from his chair. “Okay, let’s go get it.”

  
“Fine, I didn’t get you anything. But I was planning on it.”

  
“I’m holding you to that. You don’t get a present from me until I get one from you.”

  
Reaching into his desk drawer, Shawn pulled out a waterproof watch. “Already found it.”

  
Gus scowled at him. “I’m going home to pack. I’ll see you when you inevitably show up at my parents’ house uninvited because you don’t want to spend Christmas with your dad.”

  
“I’m taking that as an invite.”

  
“Well, it wasn’t.”

  
“Thanks for the invite, bud.”

  
Gus shook his head and left. 

  
Shawn watched his friend get into his car and drive away, leaving him all alone. He pulled a pad of paper out of Gus’s desk as well as a pen. Scribbling quickly before he could forget, he documented his plan and made a checklist. The first thing he needed to do was wrap Juliet’s present, complete with a ‘to and from’ tag and a tiny bow on top. 

****************************************

Shawn stood on his father’s front porch, staring at the door. When he had searched the office, then his home, for wrapping paper, he discovered he didn’t have any. He also didn’t own any bows, ribbons, or tags. Instead of going out and buying some, he figured he could borrow some from his dad. 

  
But now, it didn’t seem like such a good idea. Shawn hated asking his father for favors; Henry would always make it into a big thing. Maybe it was worth it going down to the store and spending a couple bucks if it meant not seeing his dad. Shawn raised his hand to knock, but hesitated, lowering it again. As he attempted to knock again, the door swung open. “What’re you doing here, kid?” Henry asked. “Were you planning on standing on my porch forever?”

  
Shawn shook his head and took a step back. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  
Henry sighed. “Come on, Shawn. Come in.”

  
Waving his son inside, he shut the door behind him. “What did you come to ask me for this time?”

  
“Wrapping paper.”

  
“Hm. Well-"

  
“You don’t need a ton of that stuff anyway,” Shawn interrupted. “It’s not like you have any friends to give gifts to.”

  
Henry crossed his arms. “Why should I give you the wrapping paper after you said that?”

  
“Uhhh, because I’m your son.”

  
“I was going to give you the paper, but that comment was uncalled for, Shawn.”

  
“My argument for if you said no just kinda... slipped out.”

  
Sighing and shaking his head, Henry pointed towards the pantry. “Wrapping paper is in there.”

  
“Thanks.”

  
“I need it back though.”

  
“When have I ever not returned something to you.”

  
Henry opened his mouth to reply.

  
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll bring it back,” Shawn said quickly. “Bye.”

*************************************

The next step was the most difficult one: getting a job as a Santaland Elf.

  
Shawn walked into Macy’s, resume in hand. He had called ahead of time, scheduling a last-minute interview. If he didn’t get this job, his entire plan would fall apart. Smoothing Gus’s sweater that he borrowed, Shawn headed toward customer service. “Uh, I have an interview,” he said to the woman behind the counter.

  
She gave him a toothy smile. “Let me take you back to see the manager.”

  
Though gorgeous with slender legs, all Shawn could think about was Juliet. Juliet with her hair tied up and the frustrated look she gave him whenever he talked. He had only seen her out of uniform a few times, with her hair loose; she seemed so freed and relaxed. Shawn adored both Juliets. 

  
“He’s in here,” the woman said flatly.

  
Obviously, she had noticed Shawn wasn’t interested in her. “Thanks,” he replied.

  
As he sat waiting, he ran through interview prep questions. That got boring quickly, so he studied the break room. He couldn’t imagine having to spend more than a couple minutes in here as a “break”. It was too depressing. 

  
“Are you here for the interview?” a rotund man asked.

  
It was now or never.

  
Shawn stood, sticking out his hand. “Yes, sir, I’m-"

  
“You’re hired.”

  
“Excuse me, what..?”

  
“You’re hired. You got the job. Congratulations. When can you start?”

  
“Tomorrow.”

  
“Great. Be here by 6:30.”

  
“Isn’t that a little late to open Santaland?”

  
“A.M.”

  
“Ohhh.” He rarely woke up before ten am. But he had to do this, for Juliet. “I’ll be here.”

  
“Great. What size are you? Actually, never mind.” The man disappeared into his office briefly and returned with a giant cardboard box. “Take whatever one fits. And don’t forget the hat.”

  
Shawn rummaged through the box, grabbing the least dirty and damaged items. “Thank you, sir.”

  
The man laughed. “Oh, after tomorrow you won’t be thanking me.”

  
Shawn didn’t even want to know what the man was talking about. Somehow, maybe getting the job wasn’t the hardest part. Maybe it was the job itself he should’ve worried about.

Exiting the department store, he called Gus. “What did you do, Shawn?”

  
“Nothing, jeez. I got the job at Macy’s.”

  
“Doesn’t surprise me. I don’t know why, but almost any establishment would hire you.”  
“It’s the good looks.”

  
“You wish.”

“No, you wish.”

“Shawn, that doesn’t even make sense.”

“Well, your face doesn’t make sense.”

Before Gus could reply, Shawn hung up. A second later his phone rang. “I don’t want to hear whatever you’re going to say.”

“Uhh... hi, Shawn?” Juliet said.

His eyes widened, and he kicked the toe of his shoe against the pavement. He should really read caller ID before answering. The idea stayed in his head for a moment before disappearing into nothing. “Sorry, Jules, I thought you were Gus. Anyway, what do you need?”

“Nothing.”

Shawn’s heart skipped a beat. She had no reason to call him, meaning she only wanted to talk. “Oh?”

“My nephews were going through my contacts and pressing buttons. I think they called at least six other people before you. Luckily, I caught them before they could call Chief Vick.”

“Oh.”

So she really didn’t want anything from him, not even a casual conversation. 

“Is he your boyfriend?” Shawn heard a boy ask in the background.

“No. And I didn’t give you permission to use my phone,” Juliet replied.

“Sorry, Aunt Juliet,” a trio of voices said.

She sighed. “It’s fine, just don’t do it again.”

“Are you gonna play MarioKart with us?”

“Yeah, in a second. Go set it up.” She cleared her throat, moving the phone closer to her mouth. “Sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”

“Nope, don’t worry about it.”

“Bye, Shawn. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

He waited until she hung up and continued his slow walk to his motorcycle. Revving the engine, he secured his new uniform so it wouldn’t blow away. The entire ride home he thought about the way she said “no” to her nephew. She answered quickly like she couldn’t stand thinking about Shawn that way.   
Parking in the lot in front of his house, he brushed away all thoughts of Juliet not liking him. Though she declined his romantic gestures, he could tell she secretly enjoyed it. And along with the frustrated looks, there were also looks of admiration. He knew they belonged together, so why couldn’t she?

**************************************

Shawn gently placed the bow on the wrapped present. It had taken him three tries to get the paper to sit neatly, but he had finally finished. He placed the present on his elf uniform so he wouldn’t forget to take it with him.

When he saw the uniform, he remembered that he never called Gus back to apologize for hanging up on him. It was one thing to hang up and call back a few minutes later. But an hour had passed, so he figured Gus deserved an apology. He dialed Gus’s number and listened to the ringing. “Yes, Shawn?” Gus asked.

“Dude, I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. Jules called me right after I hung up.”

“Juliet called you? Why?”

Shawn sighed. “Well, technically she didn’t call me.”

“Please tell me you didn’t call her.”

“I didn’t. Her nephews accidentally pressed on my contact and called me.”

Gus winced. “That must’ve been awkward.”

“Trust me, it was. Gus, why would Jules pretend not to like me even though she obviously does?”

“There’s always the chance you’re mixing up signals.”

“Come on. We both know she can’t get enough of my charm.”

Gus let out a long sigh. “Okay, say she does like you. Juliet is the type of woman who wants a long term relationship, something serious. Not something that lasts a few months.”

“Yeah, and?”

“She doesn’t see you as the commitment type, Shawn. Because you aren’t. You hate commitment; you’ve been avoiding it for years. You never even live in the same place for very long. Juliet is scared that her feelings will deepen, but you’ll grow tired of her and leave. Some people just don’t want their heart broken.”

Silently, Shawn processed everything Gus had said. Gus was right; he was terrified of commitment and it showed. Now, he could see why Juliet had stayed away from him. She didn’t want to get hurt. “Uh, is there anything I can do to change her mind?”

“Hold up. Are you seriously considering dating someone long term? Shawn, you’re a playa. I mean, you once dated four girls in a week.”

“I really like her, Gus. I mean, I dated Abigail for a year. I would’ve dated her longer if she didn’t decide to go to Africa.”

“She broke up with you because she almost got killed.”

“And there’s that. Jules isn’t afraid of that kind of thing. That makes her way better than Abigail.”

“Shawn, I’m pretty sure Juliet has PTSD from that. I don’t think she’d be okay with being kidnapped and almost dying because of you again.”

“My point is, I can do long term. And I want to be with Jules.”

“Well, I hope whatever you got her screams ‘commitment’,” Gus remarked.

“Gus, you silly goose, presents can’t scream.”

Shawn listened to Gus’s frustrated sigh and tried to pinpoint the exact moment his friend’s soul left his body. “Just make sure your gift is meaningful. It can’t be something you’d give to any girl.”

“Thanks, Gus.”

“No problem, Shawn,” Gus replied, a hint of pride in his tone.

“See you on Christmas.”

“I knew it.”

“Thanks again for the invitation. Byeeee.” Shawn hung up before Gus could revoke his invite.

****************************************

When his alarm went off at 5:30 am, Shawn wanted to kill himself. He decided no one should have to wake up at such an ungodly hour. After laying in bed for another twenty minutes, he finally managed to drag himself out of bed. 

He ate leftover donuts for breakfast and took a long hot shower. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad. Besides waking up at the ass crack of dawn, his day started off well. Until he put on his elf uniform. Spinning to look at himself in the mirror, he wrinkled up his nose. The green long sleeve shirt and red pants fit but looked atrocious. Assuming that adding more of the uniform would look better, Shawn slipped on the white socks with a red stripe on top and tied on his yellow apron. The combination resembled an outfit but didn’t look much better than before. Topping it off, he tugged the red and white striped hat over his head. The giant white pompom at the bottom rested uncomfortably on his neck, irritating his skin. When he added the shoes, he realized how ridiculous he looked. Then it hit him. This was the clothing he was seeing Juliet in. He would be talking to her, giving her a heart touching gift, dressed in his elf costume. Part of him realized that maybe he should’ve thought his plan over. That maybe there was an easier way to give her his present. But it was too late now to figure something else out. He’d have to stick with his original plan.

********************************

By some miracle, he arrived to work on time, a first for him. He had gotten some strange looks on his ride over. Since he didn’t have his own car and Gus’s was at his parents’, Shawn had to ride his motorcycle to Macy’s. An elf on a motorcycle wasn’t something people saw every day. Fortunately, they’d get to see it twice since he needed to drive back home. 

Parking his motorcycle, he unbuckled his helmet and popped open the integrated storage compartment on his bike. He removed Juliet’s present, replacing it with his helmet.

As soon as he stepped into the store, a Santaland manager raced over to him. “You’re on greeting duty. Stand in front of the entrance and be cheery, try to convince kids to get in line to see Santa. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Plastering a smile across his face, he greeted the children and parents who entered the display maze. The job was fairly easy, and if he sensed an employee was watching him, he’d try to convince children to go inside. 

After four hours, Shawn realized that he didn’t actually see the people going in for more than a few seconds. If he wanted time to talk to Juliet, he needed to be switched to house duty.

Fortunately, after an hour, another Santaland manager approached him. “Daryl is overheating from working the house. Can you switch with him?” The way she asked sounded more like a demand.

But Shawn wanted that job, so he agreed. He almost thanked the Santaland manager but decided that would be too weird and very suspicious.

Within ten minutes, Shawn regretted agreeing to switch with Daryl. He understood why Daryl wanted out so badly. The parents were impatient, the kids were restless. Children continually asked their parents, “When are we seeing Santa?”. Parents repeatedly tried not to snap, explaining that they had to wait in line to see Santa. That they would see the big man eventually. Sometimes, that led to temper tantrums, which led to parents yelling at the elves, even though the elves couldn’t do anything about it. 

When it hit noon, the line thinned for lunch. Shawn sighed, glad he could take a brief break from the mass of families. “Nice outfit, dweeb,” a voice mocked.

Shawn glanced up, coming face to face with a teenager. “Are you here to see Santa?” he asked. Since the teenager was right about the costume, Shawn had no comeback. 

“How old are you? Like forty? And you’re working here instead of at a real job. That’s really pathetic,” the teenager commented.

“Look, this isn’t my actual job. I’m a psychic detective. And do I really look forty?”

“Guess the business is slow, huh?”

“No, but I needed this job, okay?”

The teenager laughed and shook his head. “Loser.”

Before Shawn could reply, the teenager continued through the maze. A few minutes later, the teenager’s friends showed up, throwing a barrage of insults at him. Most were directed toward his outfit and age. 

After another group of teenagers passed through, Shawn gave up trying to defend himself. It was a fight he couldn’t win.   
Not wanting to miss Juliet, he convinced an elf to bring him a sandwich so he could eat. He wolfed it down and paid his coworker, wishing he had asked her to bring him three sandwiches. Shawn’s muscles were tense and his brain numb. Being an elf without taking a break wasn’t one of his best ideas.

Around one o’clock, the customers trickled in from their lunches. At least he had something to do. A crowd accumulated, but not large enough to cause chaos. The line still moved slowly though. Shawn debated taking a break. Would he really miss her if he left for five minutes?

Just as he took a step away from his post, he spotted Juliet walking into Macy’s with three little boys. Finally, after hours of tiring work with no break, she was finally here.

“Your shift ends at two,” the Santaland manager notified Shawn. “If you stay any longer without breaks, we’ll have to pay you overtime, and we’re not doing that this year.”

“Gotcha.” 

  
So after seeing Juliet, he only had to suffer forty-five minutes longer to get paid. Not ideal but he wasn’t leaving without his money. Patiently, he waited for Juliet and her nephews to arrive at the entrance to the maze. “Jules!” he called, waving at her, once she was six feet away. 

She squinted at him. “Shawn?”

“Yeah, hi!”

“What are you doing as an elf at Santaland? Don’t you already have a job?”

Ignoring her question, he ushered her and the boys into the maze. The boys stared in wonder at the first part: outside Santa’s workshop, with reindeer, penguins, and decorated trees. The line came to a halt before they could arrive at the second part. “I wanted to give you this,” Shawn told Juliet, holding out the present he worked so hard to wrap.

“Oh, Shawn, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to.”

She tore off the paper and opened the box. Her jaw dropped as she stared at its contents. “Shawn, these are gorgeous.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I saw you admiring them on a victim’s wife, so I got you a pair.”

A smile spread across her face. “That’s so thoughtful!”

“Jules, you mean a lot to me.” 

Her smile disappeared. “Shawn, I’ve told you a hundred times-“

“I really like you,” he continued. “A lot. And I want to be with you.” He inhaled deeply then exhaled. “In a long-term relationship. Something real. Please, just give me a chance.”

Her eyes searched his. As she opened her mouth, the line moved forward into the second part of the maze. “Now, this is where the elves work,” Shawn informed the boys.

“They’re the ones who make all your toys.”

The boys examined the room, taking in everything. This part was the busiest, with giant wooden shelves filled with wooden toys and shiny wrapped presents. On the other half of the area sat a long table filled with wooden parts, ribbons, and tools. Fake elves sat along one side, working. 

Juliet nodded. “Okay.”  
“Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll go out with you.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Really?”

“Really. I mean, you got me this incredibly thoughtful present, you got this job so you could give it to me, and you’re willing to make a commitment.”

The word ‘commitment’ sent a shiver down his spine, but he ignored it. “We can plan something for after Christmas.”

She nodded. “Sounds good.” 

After a pause, she leaned over and hugged him. He returned the hug, glad he could finally embrace her without overstepping boundaries. “Thank you for the present. I wish I had something I could give you.”

The line moved again, this time, stopping directly under the archway before the third part of the maze: meeting Santa. “Well...” Shawn pointed upward to the archway, where a sprig of mistletoe hung. “You could give me a kiss, and we can call it even.”

“Only because we’re under mistletoe,” she replied. 

Tilting her head upwards, her lips met his. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Juliet broke away. They maintained eye contact until the line began to move again. Shawn’s lips still tingled with the electricity of the kiss, and he wondered if hers did too. He stood with her while her nephews argued about who would go first. “How about alphabetically?” Juliet suggested. “Drake can go first, Finn can go second, and Isaac can go third.”

“I wanna go first,” Isaac whined.

She rested a hand on his shoulder. “If Santa sees you patiently waiting your turn, he’ll be very impressed.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You might even get more presents than your brothers.”

Isaac grinned. “Okay, I’ll wait.”

Ruffling his hair, she smiled down at him. Shawn watched as she interacted with her nephews. Juliet seemed to be great with kids. He pushed the thought of possibly having kids with her out of his head before the panic could set in. At the moment, he couldn’t imagine how suffocating having a family and responsibilities would be.

Juliet directed her gaze to Shawn. “I love this song,” she told him, pointed up at the ceiling speakers.

Shawn listened for a couple seconds. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, I have to agree with Andy Williams.” He smiled softly. “It is the most wonderful time of the year.”

She returned the smile and reached over to grab Shawn’s hand. He gave her hand a squeeze. “The most wonderful,” she agreed.


End file.
